Like never before, rehab is in the news. Rehab, is a critical and serious place for many to find hope, help, and deliverance from the bondages people become enslaved to during this life. Lately, it has been turned into a joke by Hollywood stars who use rehab as a place to hide when their addictions and poor choices catch up to them and are exposed to the world. A few weeks later they emerge, claiming they are “cured” when nothing has really changed. So this does raise the legitimate question, does going to rehab really cure people of their addictions, does rehab really work?

It is important to understand, there is no magical place to go to be delivered from an addiction. That place doesn’t exist. Please listen to me. Nobody will ever be delivered from whatever they are in bondage to until they want to be delivered. I have to say this again since this goes to the very heart of the issues today. NOBODY WILL EVER BE DELIVERED FROM WHATEVER THEY ARE IN BONDAGE TO UNTIL THEY WANT TO BE DELIVERED!

Here is another very important truth for you today. Even God won’t deliver you unless you want to be delivered and set free. Why? Free will. God gave you the free will to make your own choices. You are the one who chooses to take drugs, drink, smoke, overeat, engage in sinful sexual activities, shop for things you don’t need, gamble, and anything else that you become enslaved to. When YOU are ready to stop, to be set free, God will be there to strengthen you and help you find the deliverance you seek. But YOU have to first make the choice to stop and seek the Lord’s help. Until you come to that place, NOTHING will change.

Please don’t underestimate the “God factor” in people being set free from their addictions. IT IS THE KEY once a person decides to seek freedom from their bondage. That is why Christ-centered rehab programs have a dramatically lower recidivism rate than secular rehab programs. Once you take your stand and are determined to be free from your addiction, you need a power greater than yourself to be able to walk in victory day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

The cliché “one day at a time” is real. For the person who has fought and won the battle over their addiction, they are acutely aware that the battle never stops. The reason people “relapse” or “fall off the wagon” is because they quit doing the things they need to on a daily basis to walk in victory. For someone who has been delivered from an addiction, they MUST do the things they need on a daily basis to live in victory, or they will wake up one morning back in the jaws of their addiction.

The good thing all rehab programs do is help educate a person about their addiction. It helps them to understand the psychological and physiological factors involved. It also gives a person the practical tools to live “clean.” The greatest of those tools is accountability. None of us can walk through this journey of life alone. We all need others in our life to guide us, strengthen us, and encourage us along the way. That is especially true for someone who is battling to live in freedom from some addiction. Having someone in your life to hold you accountable who has fought the battle and is living in victory over their addiction, is critical to helping you live in that same victory.

I love you and care about you so much. The reality is no place or program will ever work until you are ready to live in freedom from whatever your bondage may be. The same free will you use to make the choice to drink, do drugs, gamble, smoke, overeat, shop for things you don’t need, engage in sinful sexual activities, or whatever your bondage may be, is the same free will you have to exercise to make the choice to live in freedom from that bondage.

When you make that choice to be free, rehab and programs like AA can be very effective in helping educate you and giving you the basic tools you need to live your life in freedom. The critical element at that point in finding your life again is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Without Christ you can be delivered from your bondage and live in freedom . However, like all who live without Christ you can never know the true joy, peace, and abundance of this life, and when this brief journey is over you will be forever separated from God your Creator in hell. *There is no rehab or programs to escape from hell once you die and are there!

By surrendering your heart and life to Christ by faith, you will not only find freedom from your addiction, but you will find the strength to live a victorious life each day. This life is not about just living until we die, but living in victory and making our lives count. Without Christ, that is impossible, with Christ, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

I will be praying for you today. If you are currently battling with an addiction, I pray that you will open your heart today and hear God’s voice speaking to you through these word’s He is telling you that you don’t have to be a slave to your addiction any longer. You can be free. Freedom from your addiction is only a prayer away! The fact is your life is a mess right now, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. God will help you, but YOU have to be ready to live in freedom from your bondage. Ask God to open your heart to His love and Truth and watch this video clip: http://www.liveprayer.com/altarcall.cfm

I will also be praying today for all those who are in rehab or some program today, trying to be free from whatever has enslaved them. I pray that they will open their hearts to the Lord who loves them and wants them to not only be free from their addiction, but know the true joy, and peace, and abundance this life can offer through a relationship with Him. No place or program will ever work until the person is ready to quit, and no victory will ever be complete without Christ!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

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Over the past few months, on top of everything else that I have to do each day, I have forced myself to take some time to pray and plan for the day when God calls me home and my work in this life is finished. In reviewing and updating all of the plans that are in place for what happens to me after I die, I have also been working on the plans for Liveprayer and this ministry once I am gone.

As I share with you often, the Bible clearly teaches us that tomorrow is not promised to any of us, including me. So during this time the last few weeks, I have spent many hours in God’s Word reading about the life of many of the prophets in the Old Testament. Today, I want to share what the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart and take the opportunity to challenge you to prepare for that day we will all face when God says our work here is completed and He calls us home.

Let me start by sharing with you some of the personal decisions I have made regarding that time when my life here is over. First, I have a Living Will, something I would encourage everyone to have. This way, there are no questions what you want to happen should you end up in a position where you can’t make choices regarding your care. Personally, I have it stated very clear that I am NOT to be kept alive by any artificial means, that includes feeding tubes and hydration. I have no desire to have my clay tablet keep clinically alive if I can’t function and be productive. After all, it is only prolonging the inevitable, so I have chosen to simply be allowed to die naturally and enjoy whatever eternity will bring.

Second, I have talked to my wife and family and informed them that I would not be having a funeral or memorial service. Having preached hundreds of funerals over the years, I fully understand that a funeral or memorial service is for those who are still living. However, I have shared with my family that we should take advantage of the opportunities we have while we are alive to spend time together, enjoy that special bond family members share, and when I die they can find comfort first in the fact that I am forever with Jesus and second in the wonderful memories of our lives together. People’s lives are busy, so rather than having them burdened with travel, taking off work, and all that is involved in coming to a funeral, I want them to just take some time and reflect on the wonderful times we shared.

Third, I have chosen to donate any organs that are useful, and then my body is going to be cremated. The Bible tells us that our bodies will return to the dust of the earth. That can happen slowly over time if you are buried, or quickly if you are cremated. The end result is the same. The fact is how a dead body is disposed of is a cultural issue and not something the Bible commands us to do in one way or another.

I’ll share a special secret with you. Once I am cremated, the last thing I have asked my dear wife to do for me is take my ashes, get on a plane to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, go to Ohio Stadium (affectionately known by Buckeye fans as “The Horseshoe”), and spread my ashes across the 50-yard-line. Once I die, you will be able to watch an Ohio State home game and know that Bill is right there on the 50, rooting for his beloved Buckeyes!

Let me encourage you to not neglect taking the time to pray about and plan what you want to happen to you once you die. It is not fair for your spouse and family to have to deal with the grief of your passing, plus, have to make all of the decisions regarding your final arrangements. Please, sit down and pray and plan out all of those details, make sure you have a Living Will that spells out your wishes and how all of your financial affairs will be handled, and prepare ahead of time so that when God calls you home, your final arrangement will be already taken care of.

For the past several years, my Board Members have really been on me to have a plan in place for Liveprayer after I die. Let me share with you what the Holy Spirit has spoken into my heart about that. First of all, I know that my real legacy is not the Liveprayer organization, but it is the hearts and lives God has used me to reach for Him during my life. After much counsel from men older and much wiser than I am, I have come to realize that Liveprayer is really simply the organizational shell for the work God has called me to do.

As these men have told me, God has raised me up for this season to share His Truth and the hope of Christ with a lost and hurting world. God has given me the vision to reach the lost masses outside the traditional ways of the existing church or Christian media. It is God who has sovereignly raised up my voice through the Internet and on secular TV to reach those who are not being reached otherwise. These men told me that the prophets of old were raised up by God at a specific point in their life, and for a season they declared His Truth to the world of their day.

This caused me to really dig in and study the lives of many of the Old Testament prophets. They were not men of great wealth or position or power. They shared the common trait of simply being men who loved God and were yielded to His Sprit as vessels He could use to accomplish His plan and purpose through their lives. We know very little about them before God sovereignly raised them up. They were used by God for a season and you never heard from them again, but they made an impact on the people of their day for God!

I did not answer God’s call into the ministry nearly 20 years ago for fame or money, only to serve Him. Having Liveprayer continue on as some sort of legacy has never been something I have been worried or concerned about. As I mentioned, my real legacy is in the hearts and lives of those God has allowed me to minister to over the years. However, in trying to be a good steward of what God has produced in my life, we are putting into place a plan that after I am in Glory the website, the infrastructure to pray for people who email us each day, will remain in tact.

The Liveprayer Interactive CD-Rom is something I view as an instrument God will be using to bring people to faith in Christ long after I am dead. We have memorialized ALL of the Daily Devotionals and have them accessible on the website in a searchable data base. In addition, we will be creating an archive with the over 4 million praise reports we have received over the past 122 months to glorify God and encourage people that what God has done for someone else, He will do for them.

As for the TV program, we have archived DVDs of every program we have done, 1065 to date. After I die, there will be a plan in place to go through all of the TV programs that exist at that time and create some sort of “best of” collection that will be made available on the website. This will include my opening monologues on a whole range of issues, calls from viewers, and many of the amazing things that happen on the TV program that will not only share the Truth of God’s Word with people, but allow them to see God’s hand working in real lives as a testimony of His love and power to literally transform real lives every day.

One of the biggest errors I have seen in ministries over the years is trying to put the work of God in a box, perpetuate a ministry past its time, duplicate it, and sell it like a widget. There is nothing wrong with organization, God calls us to be organized. But sadly, too many ministries birthed by the Spirit of the Living God lose their power once they become “structured” and “organized.” Also, God usually raises up men and women for a “season.” It is our flesh that wants to see what we do continue on and on and never end.

A work of God is not like McDonald’s. YOU CAN’T DUPLICATE A SOVEREIGN MOVE OF GOD! What worked in one place because of God’s Sprit, will not work in another place just because you do it the exact same way. You can’t package and sell a move of God. Actually you can, we see it happen all the time. Again, the problem is what God did sovereignly in one place does NOT mean He will do that same thing somewhere else, and those who try to purchase a move of God are wasting their money.

I love you and care about you so much. As someone who comes out of a business background, God has had to break me over the years from treating Liveprayer like a normal business. Yes, there is a business side to the ministry. Yes, there needs to be an organized structure in order to operate each day. Yes, churches and some ministries are raised up to operate for generations. However, God has told me clearly that Liveprayer is but for a season. That is why I am not worried about building buildings, or having a huge staff other than what we need to do His work each day, or finding someone to replace me when I am gone.

The best business model to describe Liveprayer is that of the Old Testament prophet or even the ministry of Paul. You don’t read about Paul Ministry Incorporated after his martyrdom. His work ceased with his homegoing, but his legacy and the effects of his work are still seen today in the hearts and lives he impacted for the Kingdom of God.

I am completely at peace that the infrastructure to pray for millions each year through the Internet will continue, that the words God has written through me each day over these many years will still exist to change hearts and lives, that the power of God demonstrated on the TV program night after night has been preserved, but beyond that what God has called me to do is for a season that will end when He calls me home to Glory.

I will pray for you today to not only insure that you prepare for the time when your journey through this life is complete, but that you begin to pray about your spiritual legacy as well. Your greatest legacy will be in those hearts and lives you touch for Christ during your life. I pray today that you will realize that each day God gives you opportunities to share His Truth and the hope you have in Christ with others, and long after you are in Heaven, you will live on in those lives you have touched for Christ. The reality is, we are all here but for a season. As those faithful men and women of God before have done, let us make our season count!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

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You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4

I want to ask yourself a very simple and straightforward question, are you God’s friend or God’s enemy? There are only two possible answers to this question. You are either God’s friend or His enemy, you can’t be both. One of the most sobering passages in God’s Word is today’s anchor verse found in the 4th chapter of James, the 4th verse. You don’t need to be a Bible scholar or have any advanced theological degrees to understand this verse of Scripture. This very simple yet powerful truth clearly states that if you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God!

I realize that this word today is going to upset many, make most uncomfortable, but it is time you decide if you are God’s friend or not. You make that decision with every choice. All throughout the day we have to make choices. Each time we make a choice, we are choosing to be God’s friend or God’s enemy. When you make a choice in rebellion to God, you have become His enemy. My friend, I don’t know if there is anything as horrible than to be an enemy of God. What person in their right mind would honestly want to be an enemy of God? Yet, every time we choose to rebel against Him, that is exactly what we become.

Let me tell you another way you become a friend of the world and an enemy of God. Listen carefully, since this is how most people become an enemy of God and they don’t even realize it. The Bible tells us in James 4:17, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” This is known as the sin of omission. This is the sin most followers of Christ are guilty of. The reason so many fall into this sin is simply because they don’t have the courage to take a stand for the Lord. They refuse to take a stand for the Lord in their personal life, they refuse to take a stand for the Lord with their family and friends, and they refuse to take a stand for the Lord where they work, go to school, recreate, and out in the marketplace. When you refuse to take a stand for Christ you have become a friend of the world and an enemy of God!

Do you think that is kind of harsh? Well, answer this question for me then. How come those who love the world and live in rebellion to God, His Truth, and Jesus Christ never seem to have a difficult time taking a stand for what they believe? Those who promote the sin of homosexuality certainly have no problem taking their stand. Those who promote the slaughtering of innocent babies certainly have no problem in taking their stand. Those who produce and distribute pornography certainly have no problem in taking their stand. Those who destroy people’s lives with gambling certainly have no problem taking their stand. Those who promote the different cults and false religions and are leading people’s souls to eternal damnation certainly have no problem in taking their stand.

WHY IS IT THAT THOSE WHO OPPOSE GOD AND LIVE IN REBELLION TO GOD HAVE NO PROBLEM TAKING A STAND FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE, YET CHRISTIANS, THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, HAVE SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME TAKING A STAND FOR THE LORD???

Listen, I know that taking a stand for Christ in the year 2009 is not popular. The reality is it has NEVER been popular since we live in a world that has rejected our Lord! You are subjected to ridicule, scorn, hatred, you are called every horrible name in the book, and will be attacked, even physically. Who wants that? I sure don’t, I know you don’t, and I am certain even Jesus in His humanity didn’t. However, Jesus was ridiculed, scorned, hated, called every name, attacked, even tortured and than crucified for taking His stand for God! You see, our Lord knew that you were either a friend of this world or a friend of God. You can’t be both. He chose to be a friend of God in the choices He made each and every day, and He chose to be a friend of God when it came time for Him to take his stand for God. He is our example and the one we are to emulate.

The reason a sin like homosexuality is now accepted in our culture is because those who support this sin refuse to back down, while the followers of Christ have chosen to be a friend of the world. The reason cults like Mormonism and Scientology are growing is because those who support these cults refuse to back down, while the followers of Christ have chosen to be a friend of the world. The reason a false religion like Islam has over 1 billion followers around the world is because those who support this false religion refuse to back down, while the followers of Christ have chosen to be a friend of the world. The reason you have the blasphemous, anti-God trash on TV 24/7 is because those who run the TV networks refuse to back down, while the followers of Christ have chosen to be a friend of the world.

GOD SAID THAT A FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS HIS ENEMY!!!

I love you and care about you so much. What are you, a friend of this world or a friend of God? You can’t be both. You have got to decide where your allegiance lies, and you don’t have the luxury of sitting back and doing nothing since that makes you a friend of the world and an enemy of God by default. Those who love this world are bold, fearless, and hold nothing back in promoting their Godless beliefs to the masses. The fact they receive little opposition or resistance only emboldens them in promoting their rebellion to God and His Truth.

I will be praying for you today. Praying that God will speak to your heart that if you are a friend of this world you are His enemy. You can become a friend of this world and God’s enemy by simply sitting back and doing nothing. While those around you who hate God are boldly taking their stand, if you are God’s friend you will take your stand for Him. If those who hate God are willing to lay everything they have on the line for sin, why can’t those who love God lay everything they have on the line for righteousness?

I say to you today child of God, RISE UP! Today is the appointed day for you to once and for all decide whose friend you are. I say take your stand now for Christ. I pray today for God to give you a spirit of boldness, of fearlessness, of strength, of might, as you take your stand for Christ. May God watch over you and protect you as you go forth in your daily life proclaiming the Truth of God’s Word and that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Let the world never doubt you are not its friend, you are a friend of God’s!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

One of the biggest traps there is in serving the Lord in this sinful world we live in, is buying into the lie of satan that the Kingdom of God depends on what WE do each day. I will never forget soon after answering the call God had on my life to go into full-time ministry, I learned this valuable lesson. One evening I was feeling very “important” about serving God. That evening in my quiet time, I was reading the last few chapters of Revelation, and the Holy Spirit asked me a simple question, “Where is your name?” That question stopped me in my tracks. The fact is, as I read at the end of the book how our God wins, NOWHERE did it say that God wins because of Bill Keller! MY NAME IS NOT THERE! As a matter of fact, the Bible clearly says that God wins IN SPITE OF Bill Keller, or anyone else!

The point that I want to make today is that YES, we have ALL been called to allow God to use our lives to further His Kingdom. YES, God is pleased when we are faithful to serve Him as He leads us in our daily lives. YES, God will use our service to Him to bless many people and our faithfulness to fulfill His perfect plan. The point is, this is what God EXPECTS us to do. We are not doing something so great when we serve God, we are only doing what we have been called to do when we accept Jesus as our Savior. SERVING GOD IS A COMMANDMENT TO ALL OF HIS CHILDREN! Never forget that God’s plan will be fulfilled with or without us!

If you really think about it, what an HONOR it is to have the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things, to give us the opportunity to serve Him! There is NO GREATER HONOR in this life. To serve God is not only our duty, but a privilege that He gives us that we should never take for granted. While there are many things that we can do in our life that can have a profound effect on this world, it is ONLY the things that we do for God that will have a profound effect on eternity! Let me repeat this statement, because it is very deep. While there are many things that we can do in our life that can have a profound effect on this world, it is ONLY the things that we do for God that will have a profound effect on eternity!

That leads me to the subject of rewards. The Bible clearly speaks of “rewards” for our faithful service to God. What these “rewards” are, I have no idea. However, here is what I do know. God is the giver of all good and perfect things. God loves us so much, that He gave us His very best when He gave us Jesus to die for our sins so that we might be reconciled back to Him. Whatever comes from God is just not great, it is the BEST! GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BLESSING! The Bible does not spell out what these “rewards” for our faithful service are, but since they come from God, they must be better than anything that we could think of!

Sadly however, many in service to God, decide not to wait for their Heavenly rewards, and instead settle for whatever little this temporary world that we live in can offer. That is like going through the McDonalds drive through for dinner, instead of waiting to sit down to a 7 course feast. ANY TIME THAT WE SETTLE FOR THE THINGS OF THIS TEMPORARY WORLD OVER WHAT GOD OFFERS, WE HAVE SETTLED FOR THE WORST, WHILE WE COULD HAVE HAD THE BEST! This is not a condemnation on having nice things, on having a comfortable life while we are on this journey. However, some of God’s choice servants have decided that they would rather have the “little” that they can get now, instead of waiting for the “much” that God has promised.

I love you and care about you so much. I want you to never forget each day how much GOD loves you! The only way that we can truly return that love is how we choose to live our day to day lives. Each day, we choose to love Him, or reject Him through the choices that we make in what we do with those 24 hours He blesses us with. As a child of God, it is not a choice, but a commandment to serve Him. We show our love to God through our obedience, through our service to Him. For most, that is simply by being His “light” where He has planted us for this season . . . in our schools . . . in our jobs . . . where we shop . . . where we recreate. Simply by letting the love of Jesus flow from us to those that we meet in the course of our day-to-day lives.

For our faithfulness, God has promised us “rewards” when our work here is over. Satan will tempt us from time to time to “sell out” and accept the temporary rewards that this life can offer, sacrificing the eternal rewards that God has promised us. Let me encourage you today. While I can not tell you what exactly those heavenly rewards will be, I can tell you that there is NOTHING that this world could offer to match what God can give us!

The WORD today is to serve God with your very lives each day, to never sell Him out for the short term benefits that this world may offer, and to know when this brief journey is over . . . we will not only be forever with our Lord . . . but enjoy the “rewards” that He has promised us for our faithfulness!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

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“Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!” Acts 5:29

According to President Obama, I am more dangerous than Muslims who want to cut the heads off and kill every US Citizen who refuses to convert to their false religion of hate and death and turn this country into an Islamic nation!!! The recently released report from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano titled, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” says that if you disagree with our current king, excuse me, President, believe in the Bible, think that killing babies is not a good idea, you are a “religious zealot” and someone who needs to be watched very closely!

I take no joy in this, but for those who have been part of the Liveprayer family over the years, you know that I have told you this day was coming. As we were going into last November’s Presidential election, I told you clearly that this would happen if Obama was elected President. Having lived in Chicago for 15 years, I witnessed first hand the way Chicago politics are played. It is dirty, nasty, and corrupt at every level. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has power that mob bosses from Capone to Giancana would have envied. Friends are rewarded, enemies are destroyed. That is how Chicago politics work.

Question, who came out of the corrupt cesspool of Chicago politics? OUR CURRENT PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA! More important, his Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, his key advisor David Axelrod, and numerous others, all came out of the city of Chicago and the Daley regime! One of their main strategies, like in any oppressive regime, is to silence their critics. President Obama has an Internet SS made up of those people he attracted online during his campaign, who spend their days on the Internet attacking and trying to destroy anyone who speaks out against the current administration. This recent report from Homeland Security is a classic example of the mindset and tactics of this President and his administration.

As unconscionable as it is to state in this Homeland Security report that retuning vets are easy recruiting targets for extreme right wing groups like militias and white supremacists, thus they need to be watched, equally as unconscionable is the report labeling those who believe in the Bible and fight for the life of the unborn as “religious zealots” and “dangerous.” According to this report, Bible believing Christians are a serious threat to this nation’s security and are to be watched closely. Is this the United States or North Korea?

I have tried to warn you that the time is very short for us to accomplish all that the Lord has called us to do. For the past 20 months Liveprayer has been under an IRS investigation to determine whether we violated our non-profit exemption for taking a public stand on the spiritual issues of the day that also transcend into the political arena. It is ludicrous that this has dragged on for so long since my statements were made in the public domain, and they either feel we did or didn’t violate our exemption.

Our attorneys are prepared to take this to the Supreme Court if they rule against us, but are confident that will not be the case or they would have already made that determination. It is funny that the head of the IRS can’t pay his personal taxes, but investigates a nearly 20 year old ministry for telling the public killing babies is not part of God’s plan!

Now we have Homeland Security, which is supposed to be keeping us safe from the enemies of this nation who want to see us dead and wiped off the face of the earth, more worried about someone like me who is calling this nation to repent and turn back to God, for the government to get out of the business of killing babies, that marriage is between a man and a woman, and the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant Word, representing Absolute Truth!!!

My friend, I have done everything possible to warn you this day was coming and that our time is short. The soul of this nation is in serious peril. We are already experiencing the start of God’s judgment through the economy for our sins. There are no economic solutions to this crisis, there are no political answers for our land, there is only one hope and that is to get on our face, repent, ask God’s forgiveness, and to turn back to our Creator and to His Truth. THERE ARE NO OTHER ANSWERS FOR THIS NATION!!

I love you and care about you so much. I know from the emails we get that many people feel the things I warn you about are never going to happen. I can only pray that today you hear me clearly. Our freedoms, our ability to share the Gospel here and with the world, our opportunity to see victory over the social ills that plague our land, will be gone one day very soon. Now is the time, this is the moment we must act. I have sacrificed my entire life to call this nation to repentance and lead this lost land back to God. I can only ask that you get on your knees today and pray, and seek the Lord what He is calling YOU to do to help me!

Please pray today about signing up and being part of the Jonah Project, God’s vehicle to lead this nation back to Himself, to His Truth, and millions to faith in Christ. Go to: http://www.liveprayer.com/jonah and watch the 7 min. vision video, get sign up. Also, get this Devotional to everyone that you know and share the link to the Jonah Project with every person you can communicate with. This is the answer for this nation and for millions of people who are looking for answers and hope in their life. This nation is in spiritual freefall and turning back to God and His Truth is our only hope!!!

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Many of you today are just trying to make it through until the end of the week. You are burdened by many troubles. You have mountains in your life that are so large, you are just waiting for them to crush you. You woke up this morning with little hope, clinging to that small measure of faith that today, maybe today, you might get that breakthrough you are looking for. You are tired, weary, almost without enough energy to go on much longer. Right now, as much as anything, you are hoping and praying for a bit of comfort in the midst of the trials, a little rest from carrying the burdens weighing you down. My friend, put your burdens down, quit thinking for a few minutes about the circumstances you are facing, and let God our creator, comfort you today.

As you know, nobody can think clearly and make wise decision when they are tired. Many times, we compound the problems in our life by making hasty, nonrayerful decisions in the heat of the moment without thinking. Today, go to God. Ask Him to do nothing more than comfort you and give you rest. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I sense in my spirit today that many of you simply need to go to God today and find that rest. Listen, the problems you have didn’t happen overnight, and unless God decided to miraculously work in a situation, won’t go away overnight. The problems happened over a period of time, and God usually uses a period of time to work them out.

This is hard for me to write because I am a very motivated, action-oriented person that likes to work until the problems are solved, then rest. But that isn’t always practical, and many times God tests us through different problems, and he may not work things out on our time schedule. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn was that there are days and there are times when I just need to stop, relax, let God comfort me for a time, and let the Lord carry my burdens.

What this really is starting to boil down to, my friend, is an issue of faith. We are so worried, work so hard, and get ourselves in such difficult problems out of a lack of faith. Faith is simply believing God can and will do exactly what He says in His Word. The reason it is hard for me to take that time of comfort is because of lack of faith. I just don’t trust God to work things out, so I stay busy trying to do it myself. I am not saying we shouldn’t work hard, be concerned about the issues in our life, and try to work things out . . . but are we doing it our way, in our strength, or God’s way in His strength?

My prayer for you today is to take a day of rest. Go to school, go to work, do the things you do in a normal day, but rest from the worry and concerns of your problems and circumstances. Let God give you rest today from your burdens. Let Him comfort you in the midst of your trials. Let Him simply love you today.

In addition, exercise that measure of faith He has given each one of us and start to trust Him more. Tomorrow, you will be fresh, rested, and have a renewed confidence in God, and then sit down with God and let Him start to give you His plan for handling your problems. He promised to and He will . . . you just need to trust Him.

I love you and am praying for you. Never lose sight that no matter what, God is still on the throne and still in control. One of the interesting parts of the scripture reference I gave you today is that God comforts you so that you in turn can comfort others. Your prayers and support of this ministry give hope and comfort to tens of thousands worldwide every single day. We never close and are always here to answer the call for help from anyone who needs a special touch in their life. We are able to do that because you care, you pray, and you help support what we are doing here at http://www.liveprayer.com.

All I can say is thank you for being obedient to God and standing with me. May this day of rest and comfort enrich you, and revive your body and spirit to go out and be a living testimony of God’s love, mercy, and grace.

In His love and service.
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

(C)opryright 2010, Live Prayer Church, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! Today and tomorrow I am dealing with God’s Holy Institution of Marriage which is under attack from all sides. One of the best movies ever created dealing with marriage is currently on DVD. I highly suggest that if you are married that you and your spouse see FIREPROOF. If your marriage is on solid ground, see this movie as a reminder of how special this holy bond between you and your spouse is. If your marriage is in trouble, get this movie that I pray will open your heart to seek the Lord for the healing and restoration of your marriage. Investing a few hours and a few dollars in this movie could be part of God’s answer to saving your marriage!

Part Two of Two

“For better, for worse.” Divorce is not part of God’s plan for marriage. As you can imagine, one of the issues I get thousands of prayer requests about every day is divorce. Well over 50% of marriages end in divorce, and sadly that percentage is no different for people who are in the church. There is so much weak and watered down teaching on this issue that involves well over 1/2 of the people in our society that I want to deal with the key points today.

The most important thing to understand about divorce is that it was never, is not now, nor ever will be part of God’s plan for marriage. God clearly expresses His feelings on divorce in Malachi 2:16 by simply stating that “He hates divorce.” Divorce is a sin, period. The biggest misconception about divorce comes from the poor teaching that there are Biblical reasons for divorce. This is mainly due to a misunderstanding of the passages in Matthew chapters 5 and 19 where it appears like adultery is a legitimate reason to get divorced.

Let me say this as clear and concise as I can. There are NO, ZERO, NADA reasons for divorce. Marriage is a LIFETIME commitment. I have performed dozens of weddings over my years in the ministry and have never yet said “till death do us part… unless.” There are no “unlesses” in the marriage vows you make to your spouse and to God. The exception for adultery is NOT from God, it is an exception from man. It comes from the Jewish laws of marriage and divorcement and is a MAN-MADE reason for divorce.

The key verse is Matthew 19:8 when Jesus said it was MOSES, who because of the hardness of your heart, referring to the man made laws of marriage and divorcement. He went on to say that in the begining it was not so, referring to God’s plan that did not include ANY reason for divorce.

One of the sad issues many men and women face in marriage is abuse. Physical, verbal, emotional, mental, and sexual are all forms of abuse. Let me be clear on this. God DOES NOT expect a person to stay in a living environment where they are being abused in any way. That is never His plan for people to live their lives under those conditions. I counsel people daily in abusive situations to leave the home and separate. Note that I said separate, NOT divorce. Also, I do not recommend that anyone who has had to separate due to abuse of any kind, goes back until their spouse has received professional help and is living a committed life for Christ. Unless Jesus transforms their life, they will never change.

I have made it so clear in past Devotionals how serious the decision to get married is. It is for LIFE. The vow is “for better or for worse.” You are making a lifetime commitment to this other person and to God. That is why I encourage you to take it slow when you are in a relationship that may lead to marriage. Don’t rush into anything. First of all, don’t ignore God’s warning in 2 Corinthians 6:14 by getting involved with a non-Christian. Take the time to build a spiritual foundation to your relationship. Get to know the other person over TIME. So many of the problems I see each day in marriages could have been avoided if people would have only been patient and taken the time to get to know their spouse BEFORE they got married.

I am well aware that this does not insure you will have a perfect marriage. People make choices every day. Sadly, even people who know the Lord make the choice each day to live in rebellion to God. You are NOT responsible for the choices your spouse makes if at some point in your marriage they choose to rebel against God. However, you can be much more assured of who your spouse is if you are patient and build a spiritual foundation to your relationship prior to getting married .

The other issue I want to address is getting married again after you have been divorced. Please understand that if you are divorced, you are single and free to marry anyone else who is single. Again, the passage that talks about a person committing adultery if you get remarried after a divorce is tied into the Jewish laws of marriage and divorcement. The fact is, if you are divorced you have sinned against God since in a divorce BOTH parties have to bear the responsibility regardless of the circumstances. The key is to repent, ask God to forgive you, and stand on His promise in 1 John 1:9 that you ARE forgiven. You are then free to remarry. God is a God of the second chance!

The biggest mistake I see people making every day is getting divorced and before the ink is even dry on the divorce papers, even before in many cases, involved in another relationship. Please listen to me carefully. A divorce is no different than if someone takes a butcher knife and cuts a 12″ gash into your chest. It is a SERIOUS wound that needs time, often lots of time, to heal. Getting involved in another relationship is the most foolish thing anyone who has just gone through the pain of a divorce can do. You are NOT ready for it emotionally or spiritually! Please, take time to heal and spend time with the Lord before you even consider getting involved in another relationship.

I love you and care about you so much. My heart breaks today knowing how many people are living each day in a difficult marriage. I will be praying for you. If you are having problems in your marriage, please know that God is your hope and strength. He is still a God that changes lives and can bring healing and restoration to your marriage. I will be praying today for those marriages that are in trouble, believing God to make your marriage whole.

For those who have been through the pain of divorce, I will be praying for you as well. I went through a divorce early in my life when I was away from the Lord so I understand what that pain is. God loves you very much and if you will simply ask His forgiveness, He will forgive you for the sin of divorce. God still has much for you to do with the rest of your life as well as many blessings for you to enjoy. I will pray today that in His perfect timing, He will bring into your life a Godly man or woman to share the rest of your journey with in His Holy Institution of Marriage, for better, for worse!